


Brave

by Lucigoosey_The_Lightbringer



Series: Renegades (Steven Universe: Homeworld AU) [8]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Best Friends, Epic Friendship, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Homeworld au, I Am My Mom Gone Wrong, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Lemon Lime POV, Male-Female Friendship, Not Shippy, OC POV, One Shot, Past Character Death, Platonic Female/Male Relationships, Platonic Life Partners, Platonic Relationships, Platonic Soulmates, Renegades Steven Universe AU, Self-Esteem Issues, Trans Character, Trans Gem Character, Trans Male Character, post-IARQ, su au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-15
Updated: 2020-09-15
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:06:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,012
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26483875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lucigoosey_The_Lightbringer/pseuds/Lucigoosey_The_Lightbringer
Summary: "You know me too well," Lemon Lime sighed after a moment. He might know her better than she knew herself, but that definitely went both ways with the two of them, as it had always been.| Post-IARQ (I Am Rose Quartz.)
Relationships: Berry & Lemon Lime (Steven Universe) (OCs)
Series: Renegades (Steven Universe: Homeworld AU) [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1918204
Comments: 10
Kudos: 39





	Brave

"Hey, are you busy?"

Berry jumped - and Lemon Lime could've sworn that she flinched - at the sound of his voice. Despite knowing that the reaction was instinctive, the Peridot couldn't help but feel a little hurt, and definitely guilty to have startled her. Sometimes it was easy to forget how easily startled the Ruby could be, considering that, more often than not, she was just… terrifying. Absolutely terrifying. Not to him, not most of the time. Sure, she was loud, and snappy, and fiery, and she yelled at everyone including him, sometimes for no reason. But she was the best friend he had, and he didn't need any proof as to how much she cared about him. She'd proven that a while ago, without needing to be pressed, or prodded, or questioned. She was fierce on the outside, but Lemon Lime had seen for himself how soft and gentle the Ruby could be on the inside. There were things about her that he knew, that maybe she didn't know. But he knew her. Sometimes, he liked to think that he knew her, in some aspects, better than she knew herself.

But she was relatively easily startled, due to how constantly on edge she was, and Lemon Lime took the time to slow down and offer an apologetic look when she spun around to face him. "Lemon Lime, what- have I said- about _sneaking up on me-"_ She hissed, balling her hands up. Despite himself, the Peridot managed a hesitant smile in her direction, watching the flames flicker and rise up from her hair. Not only was she easily startled, but she was easily set off, too. Most of the time, when he knew she wasn't really _angry_ , he found amusement in her outbursts. She was literally a small, fiery little ball of indignance and rage. To him, she was just adorable.

Not to say he underestimated her - he knew her too well to even _dare_ underestimate her. But when it came to the two of them, he knew, deep down in his gem, that she was purely harmless.

"Sorry…" The Peridot trailed off at the glare she shot him. One thing he never understood was how she would snap at him, and then snap even more when he tried to apologize. She did the same thing with Steven, only really seeming satisfied if the hybrid finally caved and snapped back. Lemon Lime didn't have it in him to get frustrated with Berry, though. "But are you busy?" He asked after a moment, deciding it was probably better to just change the subject then.

Berry glared at him for a moment, but she relaxed after a second. Her hand rose, pinching out a flame between her fingers, and he'd have walked over to help if he didn't know he'd be swatted away almost immediately if he did. So he settled for just walking forward, getting closer but not close enough to touch. There were times where he would force her to hug him, where he'd pick her up and hug her against his chest and cuddle her despite her screams and threats. But those were the times he knew she didn't really mind, despite all of her protests. Even Berry needed physical contact once in a while, an affectionate gesture, a nice, long cuddle just for her. Despite her resistance to it, Lemon Lime saw the smile on her face every time he went to put her down. He heard the laughter in her squeals, and felt how she melted into his embrace in the end.

Right then, though, he knew he should keep his hands to himself. She wasn't angry or irritated, but she was focused. When she was focused, it was hands off. "Kind of," she finally grumbled.

Lemon Lime glanced over her shoulder, toward her ship. "I can come back later-"

"No," Berry snapped, rolling her eyes at him. "No… don't bother. I'm not too busy for _you_ ," the Ruby grunted after a moment, and Lemon Lime let the corners of his lips tug upwards briefly. "I've just been tinkering with the ship. It's nothing important," she added with a half-hearted glance over her shoulder. Then she glanced up at him, tilting her head back to do so, and he paused, noticing something else; his gaze trailed down to her feet, curious upon seeing that she still wasn't wearing her limb enhancers. She'd gone to retrieve them, but hadn't put them on yet. "... haven't had the time," Berry told him reluctantly, following his gaze. "Doesn't really matter. A few inches don't make that much of a difference. Besides, if they don't naturally fuse along with me, then they're not worth the trouble," she added snarkily, and Lemon Lime let out a chuckle.

"Glad to see _you're_ okay with being short." The Peridot lifted a hand pointedly, wiggling his fingers in her direction. The corners of her lips tugged upwards briefly, but it didn't go past that. "Meanwhile, if I don't have my limb enhancers, I'm literally not me. I can't handle all that…"

Berry let out a "tch" sound, rolling her eyes. "Mmmmhm. We know," she told him, briefly turning away to reach out and open the door to the ship. Lemon Lime followed after her after a moment, making his way into the ship with her and turning around to close the door behind them as he stepped inside. "So, you obviously came here to talk to me about more than just limb enhancers," Berry called over her shoulder, making her way toward the control panel now. "And judging by your inquiry of whether or not I was busy, it's either very important, or not important. But since you look anxious-" She spun around to face him, and the Peridot paused again, glancing down at her hesitantly. "You're apprehensive to interrupt me, which leads me to believe that you probably don't think it's important, but it's still pressing enough to talk to me about."

"You know me too well," Lemon Lime sighed after a moment. He might know her better than she knew herself, but that definitely went both ways with the two of them, as it had always been.

Finally, a smile cracked at Berry's lips, her eyes sparkling through her visor. "Of _course_ I do."

Lemon Lime swept his gaze around, toward the seats, but he approached her instead of sitting. "We've been here for a few…" He trailed off, glancing through the windshield. "Earth days." Berry arched an eyebrow at him, sinking her weight sideways against the control panel, while the Peridot paused to pull his thoughts together. "I just… everybody's training and stuff. I mean, mostly everybody. Even- even Candy's learning how to fight, did you know that?" He glanced over at Berry, who simply nodded, searching his gaze silently as he breathed in and went on, "this is going to be bad, isn't it? Homeworld, and the Diamonds, and _us_ \- it's gonna be bad."

Berry paused to look away from him, looking out the windshield. Her gaze trailed upwards, and Lemon Lime followed it to the sky, furrowing his eyebrows faintly. "I'd be surprised if it wasn't," the Ruby finally replied, heaving a sigh. "You know this isn't going to be _peaceful_ , Lemon Lime."

Lemon Lime sucked in a shuddering breath, closing his eyes for a moment. The anxiety churning in his chest, ever-present, wasn't letting up this time. Usually, in Berry's presence, he was able to relax a little bit. After everything that had happened between them, she… she was his peaceful place. She was the one person he felt safe enough around to completely relax. With Candy, he was on guard, mostly because he… felt the odd need to protect her. But Berry had always protected _him_ , for as long as he had known her. She had always protected him. Right then, though, he was far too on edge to be able to relax. Thoughts filled with visions of Homeworld, of soldiers storming the Earth, of Quartzes and Rubies alike fighting, and poofing them and bringing them back to Homeworld to be punished. All the violent imagery in his mind, all the horrible thoughts of what might happen to him and his friends, he couldn't handle that. At least on Homeworld, he knew he had to be a certain way, do certain things to stay out of trouble. At least on Homeworld, he had Berry to keep him out of trouble - but she couldn't do that anymore, she couldn't protect him from all of Homeworld, not out here, not anymore.

"Lemon Lime," Berry murmured, and Lemon Lime forced his eyes open again, swallowing and turning his gaze back to the Ruby. His best friend glanced over at him, an exhausted expression briefly crossing her face as she turned completely to face him. "You know I'll keep you _out_ of it," she told him, but he shook his head slightly. Her eyebrows furrowed silently, searching his face. "You…" She trailed off, staring at him for a moment. "... you don't want to stay out of it, do you?"

"Of course I do," Lemon Lime huffed out a shaky laugh, leaning against the control panel briefly. "Stars, of course I do. I'm no fighter, Ber. I can't…" His voice wavered, squeezing his eyes shut. "I'm just a stupid- a stupid _defective_ Peridot. I can't even do _my_ job, how would I even begin…"

"A stupid, defective Peridot," Berry echoed him blankly. Lemon Lime shrugged half-heartedly, briefly running his fingers through his hair. He turned away from her, if only for a second, in order to sink down against the side of the control panel, pressing himself back against it. Berry glanced over at him, narrowing her eyes faintly through her visor, while the Peridot pulled his knees up to his chest and crossed his arms over his legs, pressing his mouth against them. "You say defective as if it's a bad thing," the Ruby finally sighed, flicking her gaze away from him to look out the window again. Lemon Lime glanced over at her. "As if… falling into Homeworld's image, being a perfect copy of all of those dozens of other Peridots out there, is a _good_ thing."

"I'm not what I'm supposed to be," Lemon Lime mumbled into his arms. "I'm not smart like them. Or even like you. You're way smarter than I am, and you're not even a Peridot. You're… _you."_

"I'm defective," Berry told him simply. Lemon Lime paused, lifting his head slightly. "I am. I'm not what I'm supposed to be, am I? I'm not good at fighting- at the very least, I don't even like to. I can't stand other Rubies, I refuse to march around guarding some aristocrat who's 'oh so important yet not too important to send into battle'. Instead, I either spend my time with Quartzes, who are _much_ more tolerable than Rubies, or I spend time building ships as a technician, which isn't what I'm supposed to be. I am, by Homeworld's definition, defective."

Lemon Lime stared at her, not knowing what to say. His best friend spoke with a straight face, undeterred by everything she was saying. And he realized, his whole life, Berry had always been like that. She'd always been undeterred when she spoke the word 'defect' or 'off-color'. But he also realized that, in all the time he had known her, she'd never spoken bad about herself. He'd heard her mockingly call herself an 'off-color' every so often to other gems, but she'd always roll her eyes at him behind their back, so he always assumed she knew that it didn't matter whether she was defective or not, that she was still amazing regardless. That she was still one heck of a technician, and an amazing fighter. He'd heard her express her own disdain toward Rubies and fighting. He'd even heard her admit that she wasn't _good_ at fighting. But somehow, none of that felt as real as this was. He'd never heard her talk bad about herself.

Berry almost looked satisfied, searching his face as she continued, "by all accounts, I'm not supposed to exist. I should have been shattered. At least you stayed true to your purpose, didn't you? Sure, maybe building isn't your expertise, but you're very good with designs. I don't think I could have built half of my ships without your blueprints. Or Steven's weapon, or my ability enhancers. You were still a technician, an engineer, a designer. I was supposed to be a fighter. Nothing else, just that. A soldier for war. Yellow Diamond should have broken me, or reset me."

Lemon Lime flinched, genuinely horrified. "How-" His voice wavered, cracking slightly, as he lowered his knees and gazed at her. He was… astonished, and confused, and dismayed. "How could you say that?" He managed to choke out. "How could you even _think_ that-?"

"How could you say you're just some stupid, defective Peridot?" Berry snapped back at him, and Lemon Lime jerked his head back sharply, staring at her. "How could you even think about yourself like that, after everything you've been through? How could you- no- how _dare_ you," she continued fiercely, practically seething now; Lemon Lime just stared, watching flames begin to rise up, watching a puff of smoke steadily begin to billow upwards from the Ruby's wild curls. "How dare you compare yourself to those insignificant pebbles? How dare you base your self-worth, your existence, around a bunch of anti-individualistic gems? How dare you sit there and tell me that being _you_ is a bad thing? You _must_ be stupid, to think of yourself like _that_." Finished with her rant, she turned and sank down against the control panel, scowling. "So don't you ever look at me and tell me one of the best gems I know is some _stupid defect_ again."

He stared at her for a moment, baffled. Stunned, that she had gone through all of that just to make a point - and yet, knowing her, he wasn't surprised at all. He was, however, startled to hear those last words, startled to hear her refer to him as one of the 'best gems' she knew. Knowing himself, he couldn't help but want to laugh, though he knew it wasn't funny. Of course, he knew that Berry didn't lie, not to him. He knew that if she was saying something, she believed it. And he knew that she knew him better than he knew himself. And he appreciated everything she was saying, but somehow, even coming from her, it was too hard to believe.

Still, for just a moment, he wanted to believe.

The Peridot leaned his head back against the control panel, taking a deep breath. "I love you."

Berry glanced over at him, silent. He saw a myriad of emotions flicker across her face, a begrudging expression following each of them. Finally, with a sigh, the Ruby leaned back and crossed her arms over her chest, glancing down and stretching her tiny legs out. "I know." Shutting her eyes, the little red gem heaved out a gentle sigh and finally seemed to relax. Watching the tension drain from her shoulders, Lemon Lime slowly let his own steadily diminish. He did love her. She was the best friend he'd ever had, and he didn't know what he'd do without her. He didn't know what would happen if he lost her, but he knew he couldn't let that happen. And he knew that she had enough on her plate now, too much to do than continue protecting him. She was his best friend. She'd done so much for him already, that she didn't even realize. He loved her, and he knew she loved him. He knew she would always be there for him. But he also knew that she shouldn't have to. She shouldn't have to protect him, on top of everything.

Lemon Lime swallowed, and sighed, turning his head toward her. "Hey," he murmured, and Berry blinked her eyes open, glancing over at him and arching an eyebrow expectantly. The Peridot cracked a tired smile. "I just remembered what I came here to talk to you about, y'know. It wasn't just about Homeworld… not really, I mean, I…" He trailed off, leaning his head back. "You were right. I don't wanna stay out of this- I mean, I do, but I- I know I can't, not anymore."

Berry nodded slightly in response, resting her head sideways against the control panel and gazing up at him. Her gaze searched his, eyebrows furrowing. "What do you want to do?"

He hesitated for a moment before responding, quietly, "I wanna learn how to fight."

A flicker of surprise crossed Berry's face, a fleeting emotion that was gone in the next second. She pushed herself to sit up a little, opening her mouth silently, only to snap it shut once again. And, somewhat anxiously, the Peridot quickly scrambled to speak. "You've always been there for me, Ber. You've always- always protected me, from Homeworld, from the Diamonds, from the other Peridots and the gems who always said I wasn't good enough to-" He stopped, huffing out a choked laugh, and Berry's expression shifted slightly, gazing at him in silence now. "But you- you shouldn't have to protect me from this, too. You shouldn't have to carry all of this _too_. I wanna learn how to fight," he repeated breathlessly. "I wanna learn how to fight with you."

Berry's expression softened, the shock and confusion steadily diminishing as she stared at him. After a moment, just staring, silent, thinking, the Ruby nodded slowly and leaned back again. "Okay," she murmured to him, nodding once more. "If that's what you want, that's what we'll do." She paused, for a moment, twisting her mouth slightly, and leaned her head back with a hum. "And in the meantime, maybe you can design a weapon just for yourself."

"... yeah?" Lemon Lime lowered his legs, thinking about that for a moment. He'd never been much for handling weapons, but he certainly loved designing them. A weapon of his own…

"Sure," Berry snorted, watching the Peridot stretch his legs out slightly, leaning back with a somewhat curious expression on his face now. He was already thinking, letting his mind race through the possibilities, thinking about what kind of weapon he wanted. He didn't know whether he could even learn how to fight with a weapon. He knew his limb enhancers could be used as a self-defense mechanism, firing off blasters if he needed to, but that wasn't really a weapon - and the idea of using them as one honestly made him shudder. "And I'll try and put one together with my limited supplies here." She heaved a sigh, glancing around the ship somewhat dejectedly.

Lemon Lime studied her for a moment, then looked up, sweeping his gaze around carefully. "Do you miss it?" He asked after a moment. Berry turned her head slightly, and the Peridot shrugged, lifting a hand to run his fingers through his hair. He offered her a tired smile, leaning back once more and stretching his legs out again before curling them up to his chest. "I think I miss it sometimes. But I'm glad we're here. I'm glad we found Peridot…" He paused, swallowing, and breathed in shakily, ducking his head and looking away again to glance around. Thinking about Peridot hurt; just knowing the kind of pain she must be in, losing her best friend. Again, he still didn't know what would happen if he lost Berry - but just the thought of it alone, he could feel his gem aching in response. Just the thought of it made him want to poof on the spot.

Berry shrugged at him, an odd look on her face now. "I miss my lab, and my tools, and my ships. But I don't really think I miss Homeworld," she confessed. After a moment, a briefly hesitant expression crossed her face, looking back up at him again. "I'm glad we're here, too. I'm just glad she's actually alive…" The Ruby trailed off; Lemon Lime saw it, though, the briefly pained expression that crossed her face, just before she managed to seal her eyes shut tight. "I hope we get a chance to talk to her. I have no idea when she's going to reform, I know she's…"

"Grieving," Lemon Lime finished quietly. His eyes stung, tears of sympathy, pain for the poofed gem that was still sitting in the beach house, mourning the loss of her best friend all alone. "I couldn't imagine it, you know. Losing my best friend," he whispered, swallowing. "Losing you."

"It's an awful feeling," Berry murmured. "To lose someone you care for. I lost Pink, I lost her. But… I'll admit that I don't know what it's like to lose my best friend." The Ruby paused, glancing over at him again, and let out a quiet huff through her nose before she looked away once more. Her gaze trailed toward the windshield, but instead of following her gaze, Lemon Lime kept his eyes fixed on her for quite some time after that. "I hope I never have to experience it, either," she grunted after a moment, reaching up to grip the edge of the control panel enough to pull herself up to her feet. "So I suppose we should get started on that training stuff. Weapon first. And if you want…" She peered out the window, and Lemon Lime finally followed her gaze again. "You can take some inspiration from the arsenal we've got here, as it seems…"

Lemon Lime stood up after a moment, staring out the window. "Where are we, anyway?" He swept his gaze around, finally taking notice of the dozens of weapons littering the area.

"One of the many battlefields on Earth. This is where most of the fighting was done, toward the end of the war…" Berry trailed off, staring out the window. Lemon Lime glanced over at her, furrowing his eyebrows faintly in concern, but the Ruby shook her head after a few seconds. "It was a remote enough location to hide the ship, at least. Not like it would be the worst thing a human would stumble across here regardless. But this area is what they apparently call the 'Strawberry Battlefield', and- don't-" She warned, as Lemon Lime cracked a mischievous grin.

"I'm calling you Strawberry from now on."

"Go get cracked," Berry snapped, a darker red flushing across her cheeks. "Do you want me to show you around so we get things done, or are you going to stand there and tease me all day?"

"Both," Lemon Lime admitted, and smiled fondly when the Ruby groaned and spun around, marching toward the entrance to the ship with a scowl on her face. But her hair was free of the usual flames, and the Peridot was absolutely delighted to hear the faint amusement lacing her words as she grumbled to herself, to see the smile that she was fighting. "Ah, I'm joking," the Peridot laughed, walking after her. "Not about the Strawberry thing, obviously, but I won't tease you anymore today if you give me a hug." At this, Berry shot him a horrified look, pressing her hand to the panel; just as soon as Lemon Lime smirked and prepared himself to lunge, the door slid open, and Berry managed to take off just in time. With a laugh, finally completely relaxed and happy to spend the rest of the day with her like this, the Peridot lunged and followed her.

For a moment, just a moment, he could forget about his anxiety, his pain, his concern. He could forget about the threat of the war looming over their heads, he could forget about the terror and panic that consumed him at the mere thought of the Diamonds finally catching up to them here. He could forget for a second, knowing it wouldn't last. With Berry, everything was… fine.

That was the way it had always been.


End file.
